1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rehabilitation device for assisting the physically challenged and, more particularly, a tricycle-like device for enabling a physically challenged individual to partially sit on the device while using their legs to propel the device while in the partially-seated position.
2. Discussion
Providing a device which enables a physically challenged individual to efficiently and conveniently rehabilitate and move around has always been a challenge for the assistive devices industry. For example, a physically challenged individual may encounter difficulty walking or difficulty supporting their own body weight due to leg, back, joint, or other inflections. For such individuals, transportation in situations where the individual who is not physically challenged would normally walk is often difficult. Ideally, the physically challenged individual would be able to support a substantial portion of their body weight while seated in the resting position while their legs provide motion.
Available alternatives for meeting the demands for the physically challenged individual include a wheel chair or a motorized vehicle. Although both of these alternatives do enable the physically challenged individual to transport themselves, these devices are typically heavy and bulky. Further, because physically challenged individuals often must ride in a vehicle to a destination, such as a mall or grocery store, then rely on the assistive device to move within the mall or grocery store to shop. Because wheel chairs and motorized vehicles are typically bulky and relatively heavy, these devices do not led themselves to convenient placement into and removal from a vehicle. Thus, there is a need for an assistive device for convenient transportation of a physically challenged individual which is relatively compact and light-weight in order to facilitate its usage.